In an early-phase clinical trial of a new oral drug, selumetinib, children with the common genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and plexiform neurofibromas, tumors of the peripheral nerves, tolerated selumetinib and, in most cases, responded to it with tumor shrinkage. NF1 affects 1 in 3,000 people. The study results appeared Dec. 29, 2016, in the New England Journal of Medicine [1].

May is NF Awareness Month, and in a particular effort to help get the word out about NF, today — Thursday, May 20th — is NF Awareness Day.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetically inherited disorder that predisposes individuals to the development of a variety of benign and malignant tumors in the central and peripheral nervious systems. The disorder affects neural crest cells and causes tumors to grow along various types of nerves and can also affect the development of bones and skin.

Neural crest cells: specialized cells that contribute to the formation of multiple tissues, including sensory nerves, the enteric nervous system that controls the gut, pigment cells of the skin, various skeletal and connective tissue of the head, and part of the valves and blood vessels of the heart. During early development, neural crest cells — a transient, multipotent cell population — migrate to many different locations and differentiate into many cell types within the embryo.

The Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) is the leading non-governmental funder of scientific research into neurofibromatosis. The CTF has funded NF research for over 25 years with the goal of identifying NF drug therapies and improving the lives of those living with the disorder. The Foundation also endeavors to increase public awareness of NF and provides resources for NF patients and their families. Straight from the CTF, here are ten things to be aware of about NF: